1. Warm-Up: write your answers in complete sentences.
What new institutions occurred that helped start the Renaissance?
What new group of people appear in the Renaissance?
What was the Renaissance a “rebirth” of?
Where did the Renaissance start? Why there?

2. ARTISTS OF THE RENAISSANCE

3. Essential Question: How did the Renaissance change art, politics, economics, and technology in Western Europe?

4. The Crusades, the 100 Years War, and the Black Plague helped bring an end to the Middle Ages and gave rise in the 1400s to an era called the Renaissance
Renaissance means “rebirth”; what was being reborn were the ideas of Classical Greece and Rome

5. During the Renaissance, people had more options than ever before which led to a belief that people can accomplish anything
Also, the people of the Renaissance wanted to celebrate surviving the Middle Ages.

6. Social status was based on wealth and ability, not birthright
The Renaissance was led by a group of scholars and artists called “humanists”; they placed man, rather than God and religion, at the center of their world-view
Social status was based on wealth and ability, not birthright
Humanists studied the “classical” ideas of Greece and Rome and believed that education could make the world a better place

7. What was expected of men and women in the Renaissance?
The “ideal man” was well-educated, cultured, could dance, write poetry, and play music; (called a “Renaissance Man”)
The “ideal woman” should have the same qualities (cultured, intelligent) as men but should not seek fame or political power
Renaissance women were better educated but had fewer rights than Medieval women

8. Economic Impact: Increased trade
The Renaissance started in Italian cities because…

9. Art showed peoples’ new social & political status
Increased trade gave rise to Italian city-states where people exchanged goods and ideas and a wealthy middle class of bankers and merchants
Art showed peoples’ new social & political status
The rise of cities brought artists together & shared ideas—this led to new techniques & styles
Also, Italian scholars and artists were inspired by the ruins of classical Rome.

10. Wealthy bankers and merchants wanted to show off their new status, they became patrons who paid artists to create magnificent art

11. Kings and popes also became patrons who commissioned art

12. Artistic Impact: More Realism
Renaissance thinkers and artists differed from artists of the Middle Ages:
Humanism: The uniqueness of man and the power of human reason
Secularism: The focus was on this life and not completely religious

13. New styles and techniques of Renaissance art
1. Realism and emotion in art
Renaissance artists produced the first nude paintings and sculptures showing accurate depictions of the human form since the Romans

14. New styles and techniques of Renaissance art
2. Classical: inspiration from Greece and Rome
Renaissance
Greek

15. New styles and techniques of Renaissance art
3. Emphasis on individuals and interaction between people

16. New styles and techniques of Renaissance art 4. Geometric arrangements

17. New styles and techniques of Renaissance art
5. Perspective

18. New styles and techniques of Renaissance art
6. Using light and shadows
Sfumato (shading)
Chiaroscuro (sharp contrast of light and dark)
Sfumato is a term used by Leonardo da Vinci to refer to a painting technique which overlays translucent layers of colour to create perceptions of depth, volume and form. In particular, it refers to the blending of colours or tones so subtly that there is no perceptible transition.
An element in art, chiaroscuro (Italian for lightdark) is defined as a bold contrast between light and dark

19. Renaissance Artists

20. Michelangelo
Raphael
Leonardo
Donatello

21. Donatello
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (known better as “Donatello”) was the first great sculptor of the Renaissance

22. Donatello
Donatello’s “David” was the first large, free-standing sculpture of the Renaissance

23. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, and poet
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (better known as simply “Michelangelo”) was a very famous Renaissance artist
In addition, artists such as the sculptor, poet, architect, and painter Michelangelo (MY•kuhl•AN•juh•LOH) Buonarroti used a realistic style when depicting the human body. Donatello (DAHN•uh•TEHL•oh) also made sculpture more realistic by carving natural postures and expressions that reveal personality. He revived a classical form in his statue of David, a boy who, according to the Bible, became a great king.
He was a painter, sculptor, architect, and poet

24. Michelangelo
His sculptures like “Pieta” and “David” were carved from a single block of marble and glorified the human form

25. Michelangelo
Renaissance art is known for having hidden meanings and visual tricks, as well as some dark humor

26. Michelangelo

27. Michelangelo’s greatest work is the 130 ft x 44 ft ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which shows Biblical images of amazing detail, power, and beauty

28. Leonardo da Vinci
The ultimate “Renaissance man” was Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, better known as simply “Leonardo da Vinci”
Leonardo, Renaissance Man Leonardo da Vinci (LAY•uh•NAHR•doh duh•VIHN•chee) was a painter, sculptor, inventor, and scientist. A true “Renaissance man,” he was interested in how things worked. He studied how a muscle moves and how veins are arranged in a leaf. He filled his notebooks with observations and sketches. Then he incorporated his findings in his art. Among his many masterpieces, Leonardo painted one of the best-known portraits in the world, the Mona Lisa (page 478). The woman in the portrait seems so real that many writers have tried to explain the thoughts behind her smile. Leonardo also produced a famous religious painting, The Last Supper. It shows the personalities of Jesus’ disciples through facial expressions.

29. Leonardo da Vinci
He was a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, engineer, scientist, alchemist, musician, anatomist,
map-maker, and writer

30. From da Vinci’s sketchpad: an idea for an armored vehicle
Leonardo da Vinci
From da Vinci’s sketchpad: an idea for an armored vehicle
After that, his skills as painter and architect attracted the interest of many powerful people, and he went on to make some of the greatest art in history
Leonardo first gained employment as an engineer designing weapons for the ruler of the Italian city of Milan

31. His painting, “Last Supper”, shows Jesus’ final meeting with the Twelve Apostles before his crucifixion

32. Leonardo da Vinci’s greatest masterpiece was the “Mona Lisa”, which was known for its emotion, detail, and depth
Among his many masterpieces, Leonardo painted one of the best-known portraits in the world, the Mona Lisa (page 478). The woman in the portrait seems so real that many writers have tried to explain the thoughts behind her smile.

33. Da Vinci studied birds and tried to engineer flying machines; none were practical, only imaginative

34. Da Vinci had a darker side: in his study of the human body, he exhumed many corpses and dissected them

36. In a blend of art and science, da Vinci sketched the drawing of the “Vitruvian Man”, which showed the ideal mathematical proportions of the human body

37. “Art is never finished, only abandoned.”

38. Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (better known as “Raphael”) “perfected” Renaissance painting
He improved perspective and realism by studying the works of Leonardo and Michelangelo
Raphael Advances Realism Raphael (RAHF•ee•uhl) Sanzio was younger than Michelangelo and Leonardo. He learned from studying their works. One of Raphael’s favorite subjects was the Madonna and child. Raphael often portrayed their expressions as gentle and calm. He was famous for his use of Perspective. In his greatest achievement, Raphael filled the walls of Pope Julius II’s library with paintings. One of these, School of Athens (page 479), conveys the classical influence on the Renaissance. Raphael painted famous Renaissance figures, such as Michelangelo, Leonardo, and himself, as classical philosophers and their students.

39. Raphael’s “Betrothal of the Virgin”

40. Raphael’s talents caught the notice of Catholic Popes, who commissioned him to create numerous religious paintings

41. Raphael’s talents caught the notice of Catholic Popes, who commissioned him to create numerous religious paintings

43. Activity: Renaissance Art
Directions: Select one artwork by a Renaissance artist and answer the following questions. After you finish the questions, create your own artwork using the Renaissance techniques you’ve learned about.
What artwork did you choose? Who was the artist?
What/who is the subject of the artwork? How do you know?
What techniques does the artist use?
What does the artwork tell us about the culture of the time?

44. Filippo Brunelleschi was Florence’s greatest architect
Renaissance architects traded ornamentation and pointed arches for circular arches and columns

45. US Capital, Washington, D.C. St. Peter’s, Rome Il Duomo, Florence
The Cathedral’s dome inspired many modern designs
US capital
US Capital, Washington, D.C.
St. Peter’s, Rome
Il Duomo, Florence
St. Paul’s, London

46. Renaissance Writers: Petrarch
The “Father of Humanism,” like other writers of the Renaissance era studied, he Roman and Greek texts, wanting to spread that Classical knowledge

47. In the Middle Ages, writings focused on God and religion; the Renaissance focused on secular (non-religious) matters
Humanist writers tried to balance their faith with individual dignity, human society, and nature

48. Renaissance Writers: Dante
Dante Alighieri was a writer from Florence, Italy who wrote in the “vernacular”, which is common everyday speech
He wrote a lengthy poem called “The Divine Comedy” that remains one of the most celebrated pieces of literature of all time

49. The plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare focused on how people interact with each other

50. Political Impact: Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli was a former government worker in Florence who wrote about his experiences in politics
His book is entitled “The Prince”
Rulers will use Machiavelli and other’s writings to justify being absolute monarchs

51. Some of Machiavelli’s ideas about politics: (1) to be a successful ruler, a prince must be willing to be feared over being loved
(2) A ruler should use force and be willing to lie to stay in power and bring peace to the city-state
(4) Machiavelli wrote that the ends (achieving a goal) justifies the means (actions taken to achieve that goal)
(3) He wrote that rulers should do what works best, not necessarily what is good or moral

52. Technological Impact: Printing Press
In 1455, a German artisan and businessman named Johannes Gutenberg took the Chinese idea of the printing press and invented a far more efficient version of it
The printing press made production of books (which were handwritten before) far cheaper, easier, and faster
Gutenberg’s invention would greatly help the ideas of the Renaissance spread throughout Europe

53. The Effect of the Printing Press
The first full-sized book that was printed was the Bible

54. Europeans questioned many existing preconceptions, such as ideas about religion, science, and government
The Renaissance era marked the rise of the West, a time when Europeans began to spread their influence to parts of America and Asia